As they were throughout the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes open as the favorites in the upcoming Fiesta Bowl showdown with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The line varies by source, but Ohio State is nearly a touchdown favorite to beat the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl for the second time.
"Johnny Detroit," a professional handicapper for wagertalk.com, first reported these early lines from Las Vegas and from the 5Dimes Sportsbook.
Vegas opens up the Ohio State Buckeyes as a 5 favorites over Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Fiesta Bowl (via @CGTechnology_)
— Johnny Detroit (@Johnny_Detroit) December 6, 2015
Ohio State #Buckeyes favored by 6 over Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Fiesta Bowl #ND (via 5Dimes)
— Johnny Detroit (@Johnny_Detroit) December 6, 2015
The Buckeyes finished just ahead of the Irish in the final College Football Playoff poll prior to the bowl season. Ohio State fell to No. 7 and Notre Dame was No. 8. The Irish finished the season 10-2 with losses to Stanford and Clemson, which both ended up in the top six spots of the poll, as did Michigan State, which handed 11-1 Ohio State its only loss.
The Buckeyes and Irish last met in the Fiesta Bowl back in 2006, a 34-20 affair over a Notre Dame squad led by Brady Quinn.
